🔗 Share this article

Clear skies, gentle breezes and a panoramic view of Himalayan summits draped in white powder - this describes the fall setting that trekkers on Mount Everest have come to love.

However this appears to be transforming.

Shifting Climate Conditions

Meteorologists report the rainy season now extends into fall, which is traditionally the mountain travel period.

During this delayed tail end of the rainy season, they have documented at least one episode of extreme rainfall nearly every year for the previous ten years, with mountain weather becoming increasingly risky.

Recent Emergency on Everest

Recently, a sudden blizzard stranded hundreds of visitors near the eastern face of Mount Everest for days in bitterly cold temperatures at an elevation of more than 4,900m.

Almost 600 hikers were escorted to security by the end of Tuesday, according to sources.

One person had died from hypothermia and mountain sickness, but the remaining individuals were reportedly in good health.

Similar Events Across the Region

This was on the Tibetan slope but something similar had unfolded on the Nepal side, where a South Korean climber died on another Himalayan summit.

The international community found out much later because communication lines were disrupted by heavy downpours and heavy snowfall.

Authorities calculate that landslides and sudden floods in the country have claimed the lives of approximately 60 people over the past week.

"It is highly atypical for autumn during which we expect the weather to stay calm," said Riten Jangbu Sherpa.

Economic Consequences

Considering this is the favored period, frequent extreme weather events like this have "hampered our mountaineering and climbing business," he continued.

The monsoon season in northern India and the Himalayan nation usually lasts from early summer to mid-September, but no longer.

"Research indicates that most of the years in the previous decade have had rainy seasons continuing until the second week of October, which is certainly a shift," explained a high-ranking weather official.

Increasing Weather Severity

Even more concerning is the heavy rain and snow the concluding phase of the period brings, like it occurred this time on early October.

High in the mountain range, such extreme weather translates to snowstorms and snowstorms, which constitutes a significant risk for hiking, mountaineering and tourism.

Firsthand Experiences

Exactly what happened recently when the conditions shifted very abruptly - the winds began roaring, temperatures dropped sharply and sightlines dropped drastically.

The path that had easily led the trekkers to what should have been a stunning pitstop was now covered in snow and extremely difficult to traverse.

Nevertheless, one hiker, who had climbed these mountains more than a twelve times, said he had "not once encountered weather like this" before.

Scientific Explanations

One major factor is the higher amount of humidity in the atmosphere because of how the planet has been warming, researchers explain.

That has contributed to torrential rains over a short span of duration, often after a prolonged period without rain – in contrast to in the previous era when seasonal rains were distributed evenly over four months.

A Turbocharged Monsoon

Climate experts report the rainy seasons in South Asia at times appear to have become more intense because they are more frequently interacting with an additional weather system, the western weather pattern.

This is a low pressure system that originates in the Mediterranean area and travels east - it carries chillier temperatures that brings rains and sometimes snow to the subcontinent, Pakistan and Nepal.

Global Warming Effects

Researchers have additionally found that in a warming planet, the increasing relationship between westerly disturbances and seasonal rains is causing an additional atypical result.

The warmer air is forcing the weather systems higher, which means these weather systems are now able to pass over the mountain barrier and affect the Tibetan plateau and other areas that did not see as much rain before.

"The transformation is the reliability of weather patterns; we can't assume that conditions will behave the same from season to season," said an seasoned mountain guide.

"This implies flexible scheduling, immediate choices, and knowledgeable leadership [in the Himalayas] have become increasingly important."